Something About Jones
by Ursula4x
Summary: Slash and het combined, not graphic, Jones thinks he sees behavior in Peter Burke and Neal Caffrey that worries him. Then he also sees Elizabeth Burke cares too much for Neal.


Title: Something about Jones

Author: Ursula

Rating: PG-13

Genre and/or Pairing: White Collar

Elizabeth/Peter/Neal

Notes: Haiti prompt The fabulous threesome, the Amber music box. Beta credit to wpadmirer

Spoilers: To Bad Judgment

Warnings: Slash, spoilers for White Collar up to Vital Signs.

Word Count: 8466

Summary: Agent Jones notices something about Peter Burke and Neal Caffrey and tries hard to keep the secret. When Elizabeth Burke is involved, Jones has a harder time than ever trying to cover up the relationship for the three.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners including Jeff Eastin and USA television. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

OooOooO

Ah, the sun was up and its brightest beam waltzed in the door with Peter.

"Good morning, Jones!" Neal sang out. He entered with smiles for the room and garnered quite a few in response.

Jones' boss held the door open for Neal, a routine for Peter Burke. Jones' boss wore a scowl but light danced in his eyes for Neal whenever he thought someone wasn't looking. Jones knew that Peter had the most gorgeous fox for a wife, but he still got this vibe about Peter and Neal. It made him smile.

Once upon a time there was this probie FBI agent named Clinton Jones and he was sent to work under the ferocious talent of Peter Burke, known as one of the best agents and the worst bosses in the history of the FBI.

Most of the new agents assigned to Peter spoke of their months with him as some of the best training they ever had. They also spoke of sleepless nights and skin scalded from Burke's tongue.

Jones thought of himself as an easy-going guy. He figured Burke would be a difficult, but endurable step on the way to a nice assignment in a field office. He was wrong.

Burke abused Jones verbally. Jones shrugged it off.

Burke worked ten, twelve hours a day, more if he was hot on the trail. Lesser agents went home after nine hours. Jones stayed. He made coffee. Put up with Burke's outbursts. Smiled though apologies. When his probationary period was up, Burke took him out to dinner, included his lovely wife in the celebration, and said, "To whom should I write your recommendation letter?"

"There's this surly bastard who runs the White Collar division," Jones had said. "Write it to him."

Burke actually pulled out a notepad and started to write it down before he stopped at Elizabeth's giggle and processed through Jones's offer. "Are you sure? Because it doesn't get easier with me. You're right- I am a surly bastard."

"Yeah, but I like you anyway," Jones said.

Jones stayed. He stayed through years of probies who sometimes cursed at Peter in Jones' apparently sympathetic presence. He stayed when two of them literally cried after tongue lashings by Peter.

Then there was Diane who Peter favored more than any partner, even more than Jones, but Diane did not stay. Jones did.

OooOooO

You might think that Jones would be jealous when Neal Caffrey arrived like a rain of gold from the sky.

He wasn't.

Jones liked Caffrey. Caffrey actually brought out a side to Peter that Jones had never seen. Burke still worked like a maniac, but he was playful. His eyes sparkled when Caffrey was behaving.

Of course, when Caffrey screwed up, there was hell to pay. The wrath of Burke permeated the building. It brought terror to the clerks, to the junior agents; even Hughes avoided Burke on days when Neal misbehaved.

Taking it upon himself in the early days, before Neal seemed to have tapped into ready sources of money, Jones invited him out to lunch on one of the days when Burke was caught in all day meetings. In those days, Caffrey went hungry if Peter was forgetful and if Jones didn't fill in for him.

Jones thought that Satchmo, the Burke's dog, was lucky he had two owners. If Elizabeth Burke and Peter ever divorced, Jones was going to have to testify on behalf of El getting custody. The poor dog might have starved if Peter was his only provider.

Neal only had one owner so Jones decided to pinch hit for Peter. Besides, maybe if Neal understood how his behavior affected the rest of the office, he could show some restraint. Although...probably not.

Jones compromised between the drive-in where he ate when he was facing the bigger bills like the utility bill and the Mediterranean Grill where he ate when he was trying to impress girls. The Thai restaurant was pretty good, good enough for Neal not to whine. Neal truly believed that he would start to fade if he ever had to eat substandard food. Peter indulged him as he indulged no other person except his beautiful wife, El.

Hmmm.

Double hmmm...no. It couldn't be. Jones remembered funny little things Peter did with Neal. Opening doors for him, giving him a hand up from a chair, gently touching his back when they were walking. Huh, if Neal were a woman or if Peter Burke was into guys....

No way. Absolutely no way.

It was not that Jones had any objection to sexual behavior even if it wasn't conventional. It was that Jones had a thing for Elizabeth Burke who was pretty, kind, funny, and way sexy.

Actually so was Neal Caffrey.

Hmmm all over again.

Caffrey shone his smile on the waitress. Sometimes Jones, who liked science fiction, imagined that smile as a kind of death beam, melting the resistance of all whom it was aimed at. It apparently was multicultural as the waitress was first generation Thai and hardly spoke English.

Soon Caffrey had an assortment of food and a pot of lemongrass tea. He turned his big blue eyes on Jones almost flirtatiously. "I appreciate this, Jones. Really. You've been a good friend to me since Peter led me in the door."

"Yeah, I'm a give-a-man-a- chance kind of guy,' Jones said. He said, "You and the boss are a good team. Peter is a hard man to get to know. He scares most of his probies away."

"Not you," Neal said.

"Not me, I like working for the best and, honestly, I've made Peter my project. He needs someone to look out for him," Jones said.

Neal spun his chopsticks in a fast intricate pattern. Jones had never seen hand eye coordination like the man had. Jones recognized that Neal knew Jones was watching him and played his game a little longer for it.

"I like Peter," Neal said, tiring of the trick and using his chopsticks to eat instead. "I liked him when he was chasing me. I almost liked him even when he captured me."

"Peter is a decent guy," Jones said. "It's one of the things I noticed about him from the first, once he catches a perp, unless the prisoner is a real creep, Peter never messes with them. I liked that about him."

"Most LEOs think that brutality is part of the reward for catching you," Neal said. A brief unhappy expression crossed Neal's face. "Even if you don't resist."

"I know," Jones said. "What do you know about me?"

"Peter mentioned that you have a great family," Neal said.

"Yeah, I do," Jones said. "Upper middle class black kid. Folks sent me to public school after several years in private school. My Dad was a self made man and he thought I was spoiled and full of myself. I didn't fit in with the other kids, but I wanted to. So I got in with a bad crowd and ended up getting busted in a stolen car. I didn't know it was stolen! Anyway, it was a bad cop who busted me and my buddy. He beat the living day lights out of me. Put my friend in the hospital for a year. I got a plea bargain for testifying against the arresting officer. You might say it was a defining moment. I was sure I could do it better. I was going to go the NYPD route, but I was recruited for the FBI. So you see, I have a reason for respecting Peter for the way he treats perps."

"Yes, I can see that," Neal said.

"This is not for anyone else's ears," Jones said. "Not for Lauren's especially. She's the daughter of a cop and I don't think she would understand."

"I noticed that," Neal said. He captures a piece of spring roll in his chop sticks and ate it with a sigh of pleasure. "This cook is really good. Thanks for feeding me."

"Can't let the boss' main man starve," Jones said.

Neal blushed.

Huh?

Puzzled, Jones finished eating and paid for the lunch before he and Neal went back to the office to wade through the day's paper avalanche.

OooOooO

So the days went on and turned to weeks...

Clinton Jones was a worried man. He noticed more and more things about Caffrey and Burke. The touching never stopped. If anything, it grew more intense. Arm around Caffrey right in front of Hughes, standing over Neal, looking at a file, leaning so close that it looked...well, it didn't look good. Jones corrected himself. No, it would be beautiful if it wasn't so dangerous. Well, if it wasn't so dangerous and if Burke wasn't married to the beautiful Elizabeth, Jones wouldn't have a problem with it at all.

Jones has a lot of artist in his soul. He wasn't ashamed of it. Actually, he wasn't ashamed of much in his life. He kind of liked himself. So he thought Neal was beautiful and charming. If he ever wanted to change his luck, Neal would have been the guy with whom to do it. He understood the temptation on Burke's part. He had seen the way Burke put all of his energy into chasing Neal. Saw the way the frustration made his boss full of overwhelming vigor. The guy crackled with sexual energy. When Jones used to see Burke with his wife, she had always looked slightly dazed as if she was wondering what she had did to deserve her bounty.

The fact was that Ms. Burke was not only beautiful, but was kind and adorable. She didn't deserve to have Peter playing behind her back.

OooOooO

Even Cruz who had her head up her ass about her looks, her brains, and her toughness, noticed the way Peter reacted when he thought Neal was shot by that bitch, Maria Fiametta. Jones had asked Lauren out to dinner...Cruz might be a little stuck on herself, but she was hot one. Lauren apparently thought it was a boy's night out and spent the entire 'date' talking about Caffrey. She said, "Peter is so protective of him. It's strange; don't you think it's strange?"

"No," Jones said flatly. "I feel the same way as Peter does."

The dark restaurant and his dark complexion hid Jones's blush. "Neal is a white collar criminal. Hell, he's the most white-collar criminal I know. He doesn't believe in violence."

Lauren laughed and toyed with her water glass. She said, "I think he fainted when she shot him. He looked so pale when Peter was dusting him off. And, Peter? Peter was shaking. He covered it with a laugh, but I have a good eye for things. He was really frightened for Neal. World's greatest con artist... can't handle being shot at."

It was at that moment when Jones lost all ability to be attracted to Lauren Cruz. He said, "Neal wasn't shot at. He was shot. Only the book of hours saved his life. The thing was, if you didn't notice, Neal didn't give her the book. He could have backed down, tried to bargain, but he held on. He wanted to bring it home for Peter. I think he would do anything for Peter."

"My father always said 'once a crook always a crook'," Lauren...woman with daddy issues...said.

"You better not say that around Burke," Jones warned. "He actually believes in rehabilitation."

"You're kidding?" Lauren said. "He thinks there's a chance of Neal Caffrey going straight? Oh my God! I think I just lost respect for Peter Burke."

Without even thinking about, Jones was on his feet and grabbing the bill.

Behind him, Lauren said, "Jones? Jones? What did I say? Hey, I didn't mean it about Burke."

OooOooO

It was a few weeks after that not so romantic dinner that Neal came in with one of Peter's ties, mentioning that Peter had left it at his place. Peter thanked Neal, wound the tie up and stuck it in a drawer like nothing was wrong. It was that day that Jones decided that he would have to cover up for Peter.

In his heart, Jones apologized to Elizabeth Burke, but his first loyalty was to Peter. If Peter couldn't keep his hands off Neal then Jones would have to help them keep the secret.

Over that week, Peter arrived with Neal as usual, but when Jones pulled up Neal's log, he found that his friend was not at June's or wandering about the museum or park. He was out of his range which meant he was with Peter. Jones knew that El's friend was staying at the house. He really hadn't seriously thought Dana Mitchell was Peter's mistress. He just used the situation to try to warn Peter that he was indiscreet. For a clever man, Peter Burke could be horribly obtuse about personal matters. Really obtuse.

Jones wanted to ask if Elizabeth had finally twigged to the obvious and thrown the boss out, but Peter was so busy running around with Neal there was no chance to ask. Jones spent a frenzied week, trying to keep Cruz distracted from the boss' indiscretions.

Then Peter nearly blew it to hell.

Cruz pissed Peter off with her attitude toward Caffrey. Telling the muscle to shoot Neal may have been a bluff, but it wasn't one Cruz would ever play again. The shouting was heard through the glass walls.

Huddled with Jones in the bullpen, Neal said, "I should go try to calm him down. It wasn't that bad. I wasn't frightened. Much. She knew the guy wouldn't do it."

Not moving, Neal said, "But he really, really sounds angry. Lauren is going to hate me for this."

"Look, buddy, she earned it," Jones said. "You don't pull that shit on your fellow agents."

"Yeah, but she always remembers that I'm not one," Neal pointed out. He turned his big blues on Jones and said, "Sometimes I forget myself that I don't really work here. You make me feel like I belong."

"You do belong, man," Jones said. "You make the boss happy?"

"I do?" Neal said, his smile lighting the room.

"Yeah, man, you do," Jones said. "I just want you to know...it's okay with me."

"Thanks," Neal said as the yelling stopped and Cruz came stumbling out of Peter's office.

"What?" Neal asked, turning his innocent face on Jones. That face was never believable. Jones noticed that, when Neal was accused of something and wasn't guilty, he let his anger show. When he was lying and charming, that's when he laid it on thick with the blue eyes and the smooth angelic expression.

"At least one of you plays it cool," Jones said.

Cruz stomped by, glaring at Neal then said, "I'm talking to Hughes. That wasn't fair."

"Don't go there," Jones warned, but spoiled daddy's girl, Lauren, wasn't listening.

Hughes didn't shout and the conversation was much shorter, but when Lauren came back, she was pale. She said to Neal, "I am very, very sorry. It won't happen again."

Going back to her desk, Cruz buried herself in paperwork. Jones joined her and, shortly, thereafter, Peter collected Neal and they waltzed out the door. Peter's hand was hovering half an inch over Neal's ass as they went through the door. Jones winced.

OooOooO

Peter must have wormed his way back into Elizabeth's good graces because he was going home for dinner when he wasn't working late. He must have negotiated a sweetheart deal because Neal was eating dinner with the Burkes nearly every night. A new pattern evolved where El showed up for lunch frequently. Usually it was all three of them, but sometimes Peter was tied up in meetings. He seemed to give his blessing to long lunches for Neal and El.

Jones happened to be shopping for an antique lamp for his Auntie Sarah when he spotted Neal and El shopping on antique row. They were leaning over a table of bric-a-brac, amused at something they had found. They were as thick as thieves, gazing at each other like lovers. Jones knew then how Peter had made things right with Elizabeth Burke. He was sharing.

Peter Burke was a lucky, lucky bastard.

Not that Jones had ambitions about Neal or...well, if El was single, he would have been trying his luck. However, if you were going to have a boyfriend, why not go for gorgeous, talented, and charming?

How many husbands could have a lover and end up with both lover and wife in the same bed...

Jones paused to mentally paint a picture and he realized he had better stop unless he was going to take the rest of the day off with his latest flame, Lucille.

OooOooO

There was a month or two when Peter Burke stopped being a bastard. It was amazing. He smiled. He left work before eight pm and let most of the team go home before him. Jones stayed most nights; it was habit from the old days. He knew that the boss lived on coffee, but had a mental block about making it with the office coffee pot, which was a little complicated. Neal stayed, complained, fidgeted, leaned all over Peter, but never left. He fetched Peter cups of coffee, teased him, and often persuaded him that 'they' should go home for the dinner that El was preparing.

Something went sour with the sting operation the team ran on Lao Shan, the Chinese money launderer. Neal was edgy afterwards, not hanging on and out with Peter as much. He was over it by the time they had that mess with Tulane. He was way over it.

Peter could barely hold himself together during the time when Neal was in prison. Jones wasn't sure that Peter hadn't helped Neal escape and he was more than sure that Peter did his best to obstruct the pursuit. Hell, Jones was guilty of that too.

There was something that Jones learned during that time. He was more loyal to Peter Burke than he was to the FBI. It was scary. It was wrong, but Jones was a realist. You have to face the truth about yourself and he could handle it.

Maybe he didn't love Peter the way that Neal did, but he did care about the boss more than he did for anyone else with the exception of his Mom and Dad. And his sis. His loyalty was to Peter and to Neal because, increasingly, to care about one was to care about the other.

Jones found it necessary to be distracting when Neal and Peter were together or the entire office might have known. The two of them did everything but grab each other and neck at staff meetings.

It was hell for Jones.

OooOooO

Lover's quarrels also don't play well in company. Jones went so far as to research couple's therapy for gay couples. It was inevitable he supposed. Peter and Neal were both strong men, very different. Love attracts but it takes work to make a relationship. He wondered how Elizabeth handled it all. Poor woman must feel like the net in fast and furious tennis game.

Jones had a talk with Neal, assuming the usually affable con artist would be the easier of the two to approach.

Despite his bitchy mood lately, Neal accepted a lunch offer although he insisted on paying. Somewhere along the line, Peter allowed Neal off the leash enough to access some of his ill gotten gains. Jones got it. Keeping Neal the way he was accustomed was beyond Burke's salary. Neal was like some pampered beauty...Lauren Bacall...Jones thought, a natural segue, given a weekend spent watching Rat Pack movies and a movie about Bacall's brief fling with Sinatra. Neal could survive in plebian circumstances, but he only thrived in the rarified atmosphere of luxury.

Jones was down with luxury, especially with Neal paying. He did have a brief moment when he worried about receipt of stolen goods or was that profiting by stolen goods? Given the size of the servings, it was small profit and the evidence was swiftly destroyed.

"So, Jones," Neal said. "What's up? I can tell you've been wanting to jump me all day."

"I wouldn't step on Peter's territory," Jones said.

"What?" Neal said. He looked genuinely puzzled. If only he could lie as well when he gazed upon Peter or when he always moved nearer him when he could.

"It's about you and Peter," Jones said.

"I'd hoped nobody had noticed," Neal said, with a tired sigh.

"Well, um, Peter's not real good at hiding things," Jones pointed out.

Flipping through the dessert menu, Neal ordered something with chocolate, raspberries, caramel, and cream. When it arrives it was twice the size of the entree and big enough for two.

Neal offered Jones a spoon and he couldn't resist. He had a serious sweet tooth. 

They were down to the last two bites when Peter arrived out of nowhere. The expression on Peter's face when he saw Jones about to scoop a bite from Neal's dish was truly frightening.

"Neal," Peter started. The man sounded so forlorn. "Neal," Peter repeated now more infuriated. "Neal, with Jones? You did this with Jones?"

"Ah, buddy, I wasn't...we were just talking," Jones said.

"Go home, Jones, and stay away from Neal after-hours," Peter said. "I mean it. Stay completely away. If I find you out with him again, you are transferring."

Geez. The man had it bad. He was so frigging jealous!

OooOooO

So then there was the airless vault....which was really pretty cool if you asked Jones. Once Neal was okay, of course. It was like a comic book and Jones truly liked comic books. Not enough to keep an entire vault of them, but there was something about flamboyant villains and super heroes with improbable dangers that tickled him. It had frustrated him that there were few Black heroes in them though.

Anyway, Peter and Neal made like Batman and Robin, surviving the drama and taking down the bad guys. Jones helped though.

After the raid, Lauren Cruz said, "Peter is really hung up on Neal, isn't he?"

"He feels responsible," Jones said.

"I guess that's it, but he sure was worried about Neal," Cruz said. "There was a time when I would have loved to have some hunk looking at me the way Peter was looking at Neal."

"Neal almost died," Jones pointed out.

"He must have given Peter the oxygen tube," Cruz said. "I'm surprised."

"I'm not," Jones said.

Cruz just stared at him.

OooOooO

Jones was good at research and good at keeping some of the boss' more interesting projects hush-hush. So the amber music box research didn't go into his public searches. He read, made notes, saw where people thought Caffrey had it, but Jones knew he didn't...not if Peter was still looking for it.

It had something to do with Kate, Neal's former girl friend. Neal used to talk about her a little when he and Jones first became friendly. When he spoke about Kate, Neal was dreamy, like a teenage boy with his obsession and his lack of reality.

Jones had been pretty stuck on Lucile for a while, but he got over it when he found her making out with his cousin, Annie.

Dames.

Well, maybe Jones couldn't convincingly carry off a Bogie aside, but he lived through Lucile and he didn't have any illusions that Annie made Lucile do it. Actually, Lucile looked radiantly happy when Jones caught them at it.

Too bad Neal couldn't get it. Even with his thing for Peter, Neal seemed hung up on Kate. Jones didn't understand entirely, but he still felt sorry for Neal. Too bad we fall for people who were no good for us on occasion even when the right one was there with you.

Jones didn't envy Peter, having to manage Neal, who had to be a high maintenance lover. Of course, they had Elizabeth as an ally. That had to help.

A quick clamping down on his libido at the thought of Elizabeth helped Jones to focus on his research.

OooOooO

The amber box as it turned out was with a private collector. Jones found it by dint of a computer search, not glamorous, but successful. He had the idea that the owner, if there was one, would have the box insured even if he didn't want his ownership known. Buried in a catalog of other Russian artifacts, Jones found the box listed as 'music box, material amber, associated with Catherine the Great'.

Bringing this to Peter's attention, Jones saw the play of emotions across his friend's face. He saw a glint of Peter's single mindedness when it came to solving puzzles and then he saw realization creep over the eagerness. If Neal's girlfriend came back, what would happen to what Peter and El had going with him?

Peter was the man. He was a stand up guy so his mouth formed that long straight line which it made when Peter was determined but not happy. It made that line when the day he put Caffrey in jail the first time and it made it again the second time.

This time it was not about hurting Neal. Peter fought himself because if Neal went back to Kate; he would lose him. He and Elizabeth would no longer have their lover.

It made Jones wished he was not as good at research as he was.

OooOooO

The collector turned up dead two days after Jones found about the amber box. When Peter admitted he hadn't told Neal yet about finding the box, Jones let out a long breath he did not know he was holding.

Hughes assigned them the case, which was linked to a series of thefts. It didn't take much work to see that all of the artwork was handled by the same insurance company. Despite the violence of the crimes, two men injured, a house burnt to the ground, and the recent murder, it was a white collar crime.

By this time, Hughes expected Neal to go undercover anytime he wanted. He saw it as Neal's job even if this was far from the way Peter had explained his plan when he was selling it to his boss.

There was something about the deal that made Jones feel uncomfortable...it was like the way he felt when he was the one stuck with putting Neal's tracker back on after he had been off. It just made him feel weird. He would have shoved the job back on Lauren, but he didn't like the way she did it. Lauren seemed to gloat whereas Jones tried to pretend it was something normal, like everyone put a collar on a coworker.

Maybe it was his aunt who was a freedom rider, always filling Jones' head with stories about the slave trade. She must have had a dozen tee shirts with the same image of a large black fist reaching for freedom with a broken manacle.

Jones didn't like putting chains on anybody because there was always that image in his mind. He hated being the one to chain Neal. He thought it was stupid. Put him on. Let him off. Like the man couldn't have run off anytime, but didn't.

Once Jones had said that to Peter, earning himself a cold stare and a comment about remembering what Peter said about keeping his distance from Neal.

The undercover thing bothered Jones because Hughes had a certain attitude about it, like it was okay to put Neal at risk so frequently.

Peter Burke was always yelling at Neal about the unnecessary risks he took, but Peter let Hughes order Neal into much more dangerous situations than Neal found on his own.

It must be difficult, Jones thought, to love someone and have to send them into danger. He reminded himself not to fall in love with anyone with whom he worked. Friendship was hard enough to negotiate amidst the hazards.

OooOooO

It was pure Shakespeare, Jones thought, all the myriad plots coming together. Neal, undercover, had ferreted out who was involved in tipping the outside man about valuable art and how to steal it. In asking for documentation on how items were protected, the insurance company also knew how best to circumvent the safeguards.

Neal, tired of being chewed out, was walking between the lines for once, checking in with Peter, following his suggestions, trying so hard that Peter now worried he was missing how Neal was screwing up.

For once in his life, Jones stood up to Peter and told him that Neal was not screwing up. He was determined to prove that he could follow directions.

However he felt about it, Peter sent Neal to the meeting with the outside man. Neal's cover was that he wanted a share in the scheme and was not taking 'no' for an answer. Peter had laid it out with Hughes calling the shots. Neal was to identify the thief or thieves and get out. The inside man set up a meet at a storage facility for insurance records. Nothing should have gone wrong if Neal followed directions.

Neal tried.

Neal ran the con exactly as planned.

No one knew that Fowler had tracked down the amber music box the same way that Jones had.

No one knew Fowler was tracking the inside man and that, finding out that Neal Caffrey, professional pain in the ass, was also in his scope thrilled the crooked agent.

When it went south, it went all the way south. Like a hurricane of wrong, it blew the inside man and the outside man to hell.

At Neal's warning, Peter, Jones, and the team headed into the Fowler went down shooting. When smoke died down and the scene was secured, the music box lay broken on the floor, Fowler's bloody hand still on it.

Neal was still breathing when Peter, Jones, and the rest of the team burst onto the scene. Without a good trauma team, Neal would not have stayed that way.

The amber music box held no answers. There were no micro dots, not clues, nothing. The reason why it was wanted died with Fowler.

Kate Moreau might have known, but she was found in an alley, wrapped in garbage bags, a bullet hole in her head.

OooOooO

"I can't tell him when he wakes up," Peter mourned, holding Neal's hand. "I know I have to tell him about Kate, but how can I?"

Jones said, "I'll do it. Might be better from me."

"Because you have been a better friend?" Peter asked, his expression twisted with guilt.

"No, man, because, you know, it wouldn't be right coming from you," Jones said.

Peter still looked confused, but he said, "If you can tell him, I'd appreciate it. But wait until he is stronger."

"Sure, when he's out of the hospital is what I'm thinking," Jones said.

Although Neal was off the critical list, he still wasn't coherent in the rare intervals when he was awake. He would open his eyes and ask for Peter or Elizabeth, if they were not with him, and go back to sleep once he had a hand to hold.

Three bullets hit his lean body. One hit near his heart. One slammed into his shoulder. One grazed his head. His lung had collapsed and his blood loss was horrific. He had hovered at the edge of life and death.

The turning point, Jones thought, was Peter yelling, pleading, praying to Neal, whose body seemed so tiny and frail in the bed, that he could never get away from Peter. That Peter would come after him through the nine circles of hell to bring him back.

Jones was watching the monitor and Neal's vital signs had all surged in the right direction as Peter ordered him to live.

Now that was love.

OooOooO

Waking, Neal gazed with dazed eyes until he found Peter and reached for him. Peter's hands entwined in Neal's.

"Hurts," Neal uttered. "Hurts."

"I know," Peter assured. "It will get better."

"Screwed up," Neal said. "Hughes will be angry."

"No, he won't. You got it. You got them both," Peter said.

It was true. Hughes got his case and then Fowler's actions had been shown the light, further exonerating Neal and Peter. Jones said, "You got them good, Neal."

Neal's eyes were slow to leave Peter's face. He never looked at anyone but Elizabeth and Peter when he was awake. His gaze was child like, needful, and the Burkes never betrayed that trust. Jones smiled and said, "Hughes is proud of you. The media can't wait for you to be well enough for interviews. You're going to be famous."

"Don't want to be famous," Neal said. "Famous cons...not good."

"You're kind of stuck with being famous," Jones said.

Peter was smiling for the first time since Neal was hurt. "True. Wounded hero. Outlaw turned lawman. National Enquirer described you as Doc Holliday. I'm Wyatt Earp."

"Oh, save me, Jones, he's going to be insufferable," Neal said. His smile faded as it turned into a grimace. "Oh, damn, Peter? Peter, I need to sleep. I can't handle this."

In a moment, Peter was up and half way to the door. "I'll get a nurse to up your pain medication. Jones, stay with him!"

Jones comforted Neal while Peter was gone. "It's going to be fine. They both love the hell out of you, Neal. It's going to work out, the three of you."

"Oh, that's good," Neal said with a groan. Then he said, "What? What are you saying, Jones?"

Before Jones could assure Neal that his secret was safe with him, the nurse arrived, checked his monitor, took his temperature, read the chart, and said, "Oh, the doctor signed for increased medications already."

Grumbling about the laziness of the previous shift, the nurse, a heavy set black woman changed the IV drip attached to Neal's arm. "You'll feel better, now, sugar," the woman advised. "You are getting stronger which is why the pain is worse. You finally got home to where you feel the healing."

Jones was relieved to see the lines smooth out and the glassy look in Neal's eyes ease.

Peter said, "I'll leave you with Jones if you want."

"No," Neal said, holding harder to Peter's hand. "Don't. I need you."

"Okay," Peter said. He looked at Jones, his brow furled, his head tilted, and his eyes sharp. His mouth wore a crooked smile.

The funny thing was that Jones knew that expression. It meant that Peter felt as if he had won something. What it meant in the context of this situation Jones did not know.

OooOooO

As Neal started to improve, Jones didn't visit as often. For one thing, every time he showed up and Havisham was there, Neal's old friend went scurrying out of the room as if caught in the middle of a crime. If Elizabeth Burke was there, Jones felt as if he was prying into private moments between lovers. God help Elizabeth and Neal if someone else spotted the closeness between them.

Peter...if you were expecting not to see love or lust, you could miss it between Caffrey and Burke or you could write it off to a particularly close friendship or even big brother and little brother affection. Elizabeth and Neal however acted like a married couple...acted like Peter and Elizabeth. You couldn't miss it unless you were in denial or were obtuse.

Even when they knew Jones was there, there was no attempt to hide the love. Elizabeth sat on Neal's bed, ran her fingers through his hair, kissed his cheek, and petted him. Neal's eyes seldom left Elizabeth's when she was in the room even to talk to Jones. He called her 'El' which was Peter's pet name for her.

Jones helped the day that Neal was ready to go home as long as home included someone being with him around the clock. Neal's friend, June, who had opened her house to him, was willing but not able to help him out of bed or to the bathroom, which he might need for a while.

There were a ton of flowers and get well cards. The balloons and teddy bears had already gone to the pediatric ward. Jones distributed flowers here and there, but Neal liked flowers so his favorite arrangements and the live plants were going to the Burke residence despite Peter's grumbling that he lived in a house not in a freaking flower shop.

Jones read some of the inscriptions of the flowers and wasn't sure who they all were. Rosemary...that was the clerk typist for Ruiz and what had Neal done to deserve the post of genuine rosemary plants which Elizabeth had claimed for her garden, but some of the other names threw him. There was a Juana, an Elaine, a Nancy. Jones knew they weren't girlfriends and he didn't recognize the names from the office. Oh, well, people liked Neal. He made a profession of being likable.

OooOooO

This wasn't the movies and it wasn't a cop show on television. Neal went to the Burkes and he was there for nearly two weeks before he made an appearance at the office. Since Jones was trying to keep up the work that Neal and Peter did together, he didn't have much time to see Neal. He had not paid a visit for days when Neal came into the office on Peter's arm to fill out some paper work. He looked frail, but the color was back in his cheeks. He managed a smile at the greetings, but shrank back against Peter when someone tried to embrace him. His injuries were still painful. The picture they made...oh, Jones really had to have a talk with them!

Hughes came out of his office rather than make Neal try the stairs after he went to meet with personnel. Hughes let his guilt show for one moment as he stood by his office, but by the time he came down the stairs, he looked confident as he congratulated Peter and Neal on a job well done.

Neal sat, one hip on the desk he used in the bullpen. Peter kept a hand on him, bracing him. Hughes offered his hand to Neal who cocked his head just for a second before accepting it.

It was at that point, Jones remembered the other reason he wasn't visiting Neal. He had volunteered to tell him about Kate.

Oh, fuck.

Jones was safe. He certainly couldn't tell Neal here.

After a short argument, Neal persuaded Peter to let him clean up his desk. Peter didn't think about it. Jones didn't think about it, but there were always section reports that covered all the case updates for the week. Neal didn't take long to find disaster. Peter had wandered upstairs to staff something with Hughes so Jones was the one to catch Neal when he suddenly stood, called for Peter, took two steps from his desk before collapsing.

Jones caught Neal and held his wavering form. Neal said, "How could you all? How could you? She's been dead all this time and I didn't know...I didn't know....I was going to save her. I failed. Kate...Kate...Kate..."

Neal tried to fight Jones away. His face was dead white except for two red spots over his cheeks.

"Let me go," Neal begged. "Just let me go."

"No, man," Jones said, "I don't want you to do anything foolish. We didn't tell you because you were out when it happened. Her family took her back to Idaho before you were awake more than a few moments at a time. There was nothing you could do. There was no funeral here. Her family didn't want anyone from her life since she ran away involved."

Jones didn't say what Kate's family said, that they blamed Neal. If it weren't for Neal, Kate would have come home instead of staying away.

"Her step father..." Neal said. "She hated her step father because he molested her. She would not want them to bury her. She loved her biological father, but he had a drinking problem and they wouldn't let him have custody. He went to prison when she was ten for hitting a crossing guard when he was driving her to school. The woman lived, but it was a bad injury and he was a repeat offender."

"I'm sorry," Jones said.

"Was it Fowler?" Neal asked.

"Yeah," Jones said. For a former FBI agent, Fowler hadn't concealed the evidence the way he should. "Yeah, we found enough to convict him if we didn't already shoot him."

"He took everything from me," Neal said.

"No, he didn't," Peter said. "I'm here. Jones is here. El is here. Moz, June, Lauren are all still alive."

"I want to go home to El," Neal said. "Take me to El."

The relief on Peter's face was obvious. Jones felt the same way. He felt guilty that now he didn't have to tell Neal himself. He realized how terrible it would have been to find the words to tell Neal that Kate was dead.

"Listen, Jones, come by later if you want to talk to Neal," Peter said, looking so vulnerable for some reason. "El and I need to take care of him."

It didn't make sense to Jones. If Neal was home with his new lovers, why would he want Jones?

Guessing that there must be something Peter needed from him, Jones made a mental note to drop by. Meanwhile, Lauren and he had surveillance duty on the new case. This one was a team effort with computer crimes. Mortgage fraud with e-mail phishing snagging the victims. Bryant, the whiz kid from computer crimes, had tracked the brains of the operation to New York to case that Peter and Neal had opened on a handful of frauds, not realizing that it was a nation wide scheme.

This was going to be another major bust, but they were moving slowly so the fish stayed hooked. Lauren was bored. She was still new enough to expect excitement every time, every case. Jones could have told her, 'It ain't so, babe'.

"Poor Neal, that must have hurt," Lauren said. "It's better for him though."

Lifting his brows, Jones stared at Lauren.

"Now he can find someone new," Lauren said. "Someone who feels like a rehab project, which isn't me. I prefer my men without the history."

Jones believed that. He had met some of them. Ken meet Latina Barbie. He also knew that Lauren thought that Neal was interested in her.

"Oh, stop rolling your eyes," Lauren said waspishly. "I swear you and Peter are both so stuck on Neal Caffrey. Homoerotic tension."

Peter...well, she had Peter down, but Jones? Nah, not him, Jones said, "You want to repeat that comment around Peter?"

"No, what is with you! You usually have a sense of humor," Lauren said.

"I don't when it comes to people I work with hurting," Jones said. "Good God, Lauren, Neal is an ex-con, but we work with him every day. You can see he's a good guy in most respects. Heart of gold and all that."

"Like I said, you are so sold on Neal that it's ridiculous," Lauren replied. "Someday, he's really going to run and I'll laugh at you."

The woman was insufferable, Jones thought. He hoped that when her probie year was up, she would be gone.

OooOooO

After a junior team took over the surveillance, Jones gave Peter a call and was invited over for late dinner. He could hear Neal in the background so at least Neal wasn't holed up, sulking somewhere.

"Sure, thanks a lot," Jones said. "Can I pick something up?"

"Beer," Peter said.

In the background, Jones heard El say, "White wine, we're having fish."

Okay, wine and beer. Peter was his boss after all.

Jones made the stop and was over to the Burke's house before dinner was out of the oven. Neal was on the back porch with Satchmo. After a brief conversation with Peter and Elizabeth, Jones walked out to commiserate with Neal. Neal's uninjured arm was around the dog whose tail thumped gently as Jones approached and sat on the other side of Satchmo.

"Hey," Jones said.

"Hey, back," Neal said.

"Not too warm out here," Jones said.

"Yeah, but the sky is clear. I can see the stars," Neal said.

"I was the one who was supposed to tell you about Kate," Jones said.

"You were? Why?" Neal said.

"It would be too hard for Peter and El with the way you are and all," Jones said.

"The way we are?" Neal asked, his hand stopping on Satchmo. The dog looked back at him and tossed the hand back on his head, bumping it to suggest that it was not time to stop petting.

"Yeah, they love you," Jones said.

"I know," Neal said. "I know that now."

"Good, man, that's good," Jones said.

Peter came out and said, "Neal, it's time to come in. El is worried about you catching a chill."

"I'll help you up," Jones said. He saw the way Peter looked at him when he touched Neal, very jealous. Wow, what was the deal about that?"

"I guess you must be making up for lost time," Peter said.

"Huh?" Jones said, brilliantly.

"You're dating Neal, aren't you?" Peter said.

Despite his leaden depression, Neal heard that. He looked at Jones and said, "You want me?"

"Me?" Jones hit a high register he hadn't had since turning fourteen. He said, "Peter, I would never move in on you and El. I know Neal has a great thing going with the two of you."

Now Neal looked fascinated. He said, "Peter, did you tell Jones you and El were interested in me?"

"No," Peter said. He was such an honest guy. He said, "I didn't tell him, but ... yes, we are, but I told El that you were with Jones."

"I told you," came from the doorway. Elizabeth Burke stood there smiling.

Neal's face fell, lifeless again. "So that's why you took me home from the hospital to take care of me."

Jones saw it before Neal did, a mark of how sad and alone his friend felt. He said, "No, Neal, Peter was sure you were in love with me. So they took you home because they care about you."

Looking less forsaken, Neal said, "I'm not ready to even think about being in a relationship, but I already love you, Peter. And, El. I've been in love with El since the day I met her."

Looking bemused, Peter said, "Then let us court you."

"No flirting?" Neal said.

"We did that for damn near three years before I caught you," Peter said. He smiled at Neal in such a killer way that even Jones caught the sexual whammy.

"I'll catch you again," Peter said. "I'll catch your heart."

"We, honey, we will catch his heart," Elizabeth said. She said, "But first, could we all eat dinner?"

"Yes, ma'am," said all three men.

Jones walked inside the house, still bemused at Peter thinking he was after Neal. He chuckled as he thought about all the times Peter had confronted him.

Whirling around, Peter said, "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing," Jones said, holding his hands up. "Nothing at all."

OooOooO

A few days later, they buried the bottle in Kate's father's grave. Neal wrote a long letter to Kate to place in the bottle. Good or bad, Kate was someone Neal loved and Jones understood. The friend he had told Neal about had not gone straight despite his close call. He had been shot just after Jones started working for Peter. He hadn't told anyone whose funeral it was that he needed a day off to attend, but Peter had looked in his eyes, told him to go, and hadn't asked unwelcome questions.

It was an odd gathering, Neal, the Burkes, Moz, Jones, June, and Jones, all to bury a wine bottle.

Jones understood though. It was all Neal had of Kate. It was the end of a big part of his life.

Life goes on. Neal was on light duty for a long time. Without Kate, there was less tension in the office. Neal settled into a pattern, working hard as Peter. His lighter spirit didn't return instantly, but a few months down the road, Neal started coming into the office, walking on air.

Lauren said Neal must have found a new Kate, but Jones just smiled. He knew the truth.

This time Jones was sure. Neal told him. "I don't know how you saw all the signs I missed, but I thank you. If you hadn't said something, maybe Peter wouldn't have admitted he was in love with me."

This was at a private lunch at that same Thai restaurant where they had that first serious talk. Jones kept looking around nervously, afraid that Peter still suspected him.

Neal laughed and said, "No, stop worrying. El and I have Peter handled. Really, really handled."

"As long as they are treating you the way you deserved," Jones said.

"What about you?" Neal asked.

"I met someone I really like...well, not exactly true, there was a girl I met in high school and dated. She just moved here and it seems as if we grew up toward each other," Jones said.

"You should bring her over," Neal said. "El and I can put together a great dinner. Meet the family kind of thing."

Jones grinned.

Yeah, family. He had his own huge extended family home, but here in New York...

Peter, Elizabeth, and Neal were as close as it came.

Jones said, "Do it. I'm looking for my own happy ending now," Jones said.

The end


End file.
